Match Feed

Q4 29:41

St Kilda was able to keep the Bulldogs scoreless in the final quarter. This is the first time since 2013 (Round 4) that the Bulldogs have had a scoreless quarter.

Q4 29:41

A terrific win for the Saints, who matched the Bulldogs at the contest, and were better able to punish turnovers. St Kilda scored 5.3.(33) from forward half intercepts, compared to the Bulldogs 1.2.(8).

Q4 29:31

The siren has sounded to end Q4.

Q4 27:17

In the final quarter, St Kilda lead forward 50 entries 156, and whilst the Saints have only scored 1.4.(10), the Bulldogs have been kept scoreless.

Q4 25:54

BEHINDSaints (Tom Hickey)

Q4 25:22

St Kilda lead in contested marks 209 and forward 50 marks 9-6, with the Bulldogs missing the injured Morris.

Q4 23:39

BEHINDSaints (Maverick Weller)

Q4 22:43

Whilst the Bulldogs marginally lead forward 50 entries (4644), the Saints have had 48 disposals at 71 percent efficiency in this area, compared to the Bulldogs 34 disposals at 56 percent efficiency.

Q4 21:34

BEHINDSaints (Josh Bruce)

Q4 17:57

Sean Dempster again giving the Saints great service, with a gamehigh 11 intercept possessions, and 20 disposals at 85 percent efficiency.

Q4 15:06

St Kilda winning the territory battle in the final quarter, with the inside 50 count 82 in the Saints favor.

Q4 11:41

Western Bulldogs InterchangeMatthew Boyd replaces Mitch Wallis and is possibly out for the game.

Q4 08:40

BEHINDSaints (Jack Billings)

Q4 08:28

St Kilda has now kicked 7.1.(43) from set shots at goal, compared to the Bulldogs 5.5.(35). The Saints have converted 60 percent of their set shots this season (ranked 13th).

Q4 07:35

GOALSaints (Nathan Wright)

Q4 05:41

A scrappy start to the final quarter with the Saints having kicking efficiency of just 33 percent (the Bulldogs 63 percent), allowing the Bulldogs four intercept marks early in the quarter.

Q4 05:21

Western Bulldogs InterchangeJack Redpath off due to an injury.

Q4 04:42

St Kilda InterchangeLeigh Montagna off due to an injury.

Q4 00:00

Q4 is now underway.

Q3 28:40

The Bulldogs lead forward 50 entries 4133, and with the Saints still yet to score a goal from a chain starting in the defensive half, the Bulldogs will look to win the territory battle in the final quarter.

Q3 28:40

The Bulldogs were able to fightback in the second half of that quarter, winning 8 of the last 11 clearances, and leading 104 forward 50 entries in this period.

Q3 28:30

The siren has sounded to end Q3.

Q3 28:27

BEHINDBulldogs (Marcus Bontempelli)

Q3 20:32

The Saints able to break a run of three goals to the Bulldogs with a goal coming from a forward half stoppage. This season they have averaged 13 points from such a source, and tonight they have scored 4.0.(24).

Q3 20:03

GOALSaints (Jade Gresham)

Q3 18:12

St Kilda having all sorts of trouble clearing the ball from its defensive half. The Saints are still yet to score a goal from a chain starting in the defensive half, and have generated just two forward 50 entries from 29 defensive 50 chains.

Q3 17:41

BEHINDBulldogs (Marcus Bontempelli)

Q3 16:08

The Western Bulldogs have now won the last four clearances, with two of these from centre bounces resulting in goals, and contributing to the Bulldogs having 10 of the last 11 forward 50 entries.

Q3 13:33

GOALBulldogs (Marcus Bontempelli)On the Run (Over 50m, Left Side)

Q3 12:32

Two quick goals to the Bulldogs, with the first from a kickin chain, and the second from a centre bounce clearance. The Bulldogs average 4.9 points per game from kick-ins (ranked 10th), and 14.6 points from centre bounce clearances (ranked 2nd).

Q3 12:14

Western Bulldogs InterchangeJack Redpath off due to an injury.

Q3 12:10

GOALBulldogs (Lin Jong)

Q3 10:55

GOALBulldogs (Tory Dickson)

Q3 10:32

The behind from Membrey was the Saints first miss from a set shot tonight, after six goals. St Kilda lead in forward 50 marks 84, with Membrey and Riewoldt combining for six of these marks and six goals.

Q3 10:24

BEHINDSaints (Tim Membrey)

Q3 06:56

St Kilda has won the first four clearances to start the third quarter, and both of its goals this quarter have come from this source. The Saints lead 5.1.(31) to 3.1.(19) in scores from stoppages.

Q3 06:34

GOALSaints (Nick Riewoldt)

Q3 05:31

Early in the third quarter, the Bulldogs have kicking efficiency of 50 percent compared to the Saints 92 percent, with the Bulldogs burning their last two forward entries as a result.

Q3 00:53

GOALSaints (Tim Membrey)

Q3 00:53

The third quarter starts the same as the first, with the Saints scoring a goal from a Tim Membrey contested mark in the forward 50. The Saints now lead in contested marks (132), and have scored the last four goals in the game.

Q3 00:00

Q3 is now underway.

Q2 29:34

Jack Steven had 26 disposals in the opening half, which is his career best, and the second most any player has had in an opening half this season (Matt Priddis had 29 disposals in the first half against Brisbane in Round 1).

Q2 29:34

The Western Bulldogs have not had a hitout to advantage in the opening half (they average 10 per game), and this has contributed to the Saints edging the Bulldogs in clearances (1917), and breaking even in scores from stoppages.

Q2 29:34

A super second quarter from the Saints, who won the contested possession count (4126). This differential is easily the worst for the Bulldogs in a quarter this season.

Q2 29:34

Both teams have had 28 possession chains starting in the defensive half. The Bulldogs have scored 3.1.(19) from these chains, compared to St Kilda 0.1.(1). However, the Saints lead 41 in goals from forward half intercepts.

Q2 29:24

The siren has sounded to end Q2.

Q2 29:20

BEHINDBulldogs (Marcus Bontempelli)

Q2 25:47

Nick Riewoldt continuing to cause problems for the Bulldogs, with three goals this quarter, and the last coming from a forward half clearance. St Kilda now lead the clearances 125 this quarter (the Bulldogs are ranked first for clearance differential).

Q2 25:25

GOALSaints (Nick Riewoldt)

Q2 20:47

In the second quarter the Saints lead in clearances (104), contested possessions (29-19) and inside 50 entries (11-5), but have not yet put this on the scoreboard with three goals to two.

St Kilda has generated an inside 50 entry from 27 percent of its defensive 50 rebounds this season (ranked third). Tonight the Saints have had 12 chains starting in the defensive 50, but only generated one forward 50 entry from these chains.

Q2 13:32

GOALSaints (Nick Riewoldt)

Q2 11:28

BEHINDSaints (Nathan Wright)

Q2 09:46

The Western Bulldogs lead in forward 50 marks (42), and in combination with free kicks and 50 metres penalties, eight of their nine scores have come from set shots at goal. Only two of the Saints scores have come from set shots (both goals).

Q2 09:39

GOALBulldogs (Marcus Bontempelli)

Q2 06:30

GOALBulldogs (Marcus Bontempelli)

Q2 04:41

St Kilda able to punish the Bulldogs turnover with their third goal from a forward half intercept. The Bulldogs have scored just one of their four goals from such a source.

Q2 04:25

GOALSaints (Nick Riewoldt)

Q2 02:58

BEHINDBulldogs (Tom Boyd)

Q2 00:00

Q2 is now underway.

Q1 30:52

Matt Suckling led all players for metres gained (258) and inside 50 entries (5) in the opening quarter, whilst Jack Steven with 12 disposals at 92 percent efficiency and four score involvements was again prolific for the Saints.

Q1 30:52

A good contest in the opening quarter, with St Kilda able to match the Bulldogs at the contest (contested possessions 3537, and tackles 20-19 in favor of the Bulldogs), and in ball movement (disposal efficiency 78 to 79 percent in favor of the Saints).

Q1 30:42

The siren has sounded to end Q1.

Q1 30:37

BEHINDBulldogs (Liam Picken)

Q1 28:47

St Kilda has generated five forward half intercepts and scored 2.1.(13) from these. This season the Saints have averaged 26.6 points per game from such intercepts (ranked 13th).

Q1 28:02

GOALSaints (David Armitage)

Q1 26:36

BEHINDSaints (Dylan Roberton)

Q1 24:56

The Western Bulldogs have already applied 10 tackles in their forward 50. They average 11.8 per game (ranked 10th).

Q1 20:45

BEHINDBulldogs (Clay Smith)

Q1 19:20

Nine of the last ten forward 50 entries to the Bulldogs, as they start to get the game more on their terms. This season the Bulldogs are ranked second for both inside 50 differential and time in forward half.

Q1 17:01

GOALBulldogs (Matthew Suckling)

Q1 13:49

Mav Weller able to score a crumbing goal after Nick Riewoldt attracted a crowd in the marking contest. Riewoldt has taken more forward 50 marks in his career against the Bulldogs than any other team (82).

Q1 13:04

GOALSaints (Maverick Weller)

Q1 11:57

The Western Bulldogs have scored a goal from just 19 percent of forward 50 entries this season (ranked 16th). Tonight they have three goals from their first four forward 50 entries.

Q1 11:31

GOALBulldogs (Tory Dickson)

Q1 09:02

The defence for both teams under pressure early, with the first five inside 50 entries in the game all resulting in scores. The AFL average is a score from 38 percent of forward 50 entries.

Q1 07:26

GOALBulldogs (Jack Redpath)

Q1 06:22

The Western Bulldogs get their first goal f the game from a chain started in the defensive 50. The Bulldogs average 13.2 points per game from such chains, which is ranked 15th.

The Saints with the opening goal direct from the first centre bounce clearance. St Kilda average 12.9 points per game from such a source (ranked 8th).

Q1 00:00

Q1 is now underway.

Q0 00:00

The Saints have generated just 14 percent of their score this season from chains starting in the forward 50 (ranked last), but have generated 23 percent of their score from chains starting in the defensive 50 (ranked first).

Q0 00:00

In 2016, the team with the higher disposal efficiency has won 78 percent of games. The Western Bulldogs have won all eight games when their disposal efficiency has been superior to their opposition.

Q0 00:00

The Western Bulldogs are the number one ranked team this season for clearance differential, and have outscored their opposition from stoppages by an average of 10 points per game (ranked third).

Q0 00:00

St Kilda will be looking to Tom Hickey to help negate the Bulldogs strength at stoppages. Last week, Hickey recorded teamhigh totals of 14 contested possessions and five clearances against the Demons.

Q0 00:-20

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Related

ST KILDA has kept its slim finals hopes alive and damaged the injury-ravaged Western Bulldogs' premiership chances after producing a 15-point boilover in a last-man-standing affair at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night.

The battered Bulldogs rued a missed opportunity to consolidate a top-four position and counted the cost of season-ending injuries to midfielder Mitch Wallis (broken left leg) and Jack Redpath (right knee), along with a Dale Morris niggle (left hamstring), but the Saints were magnificent in posting a stirring 11.9 (75) to 9.6 (60) win.

When Redpath and then Wallis went down by midway through the final term, the Dogs were down to just one rotation, the carnage prompting Dogs coach Luke Beveridge to move down to the bench to manage his depleted team.

St Kilda skipper Nick Riewoldt again haunted the Bulldogs, bagging four goals despite tweaking his troublesome right knee in the second term when he slotted three of his majors.

"It was as good a performance from a four-quarter perspective as we've had for a while," Richardson told reporters post-match.

"It was a performance you hope that, as a coach, we go to another level in our belief in each other that we can match it against really strong teams.”

Wallis' injury was significant for many reasons, not least of all for its tactical implications.

"When the incident happened, unfortunately for Wallis, there was a bit of time to have a conversation," Richardson revealed.

"The message to our guys was to run and make sure we were really aggressive with the way we played. Even if it wasn’t going to be reality that the Bulldogs were out of legs, we just wanted our guys to be in that headspace that we needed to continue to be aggressive.

"(The players are) really hurting and feeling it. Obviously (they're) a little bit disappointed about the loss but they're really feeling it for Mitch and his family, and also for 'Red' and his family," he said.

Two quick Bontempelli goals gave the Dogs a two-goal buffer by the nine-minute mark of the second quarter, which proved the cue for an impressive rearguard action from St Kilda.

Against the flow, the Saints hit back with seven of the next nine goals – including three to the inspirational Riewoldt – to establish a 19-point lead by the 10-minute mark of the third term.

The margin could easily have been 24 points, but Tim Membrey, after receiving a pass from Riewoldt, missed a set shot from 40 metres for what would have been his third major.

It was a 12-point play, as the Dogs immediately rushed the ball forward for a snapped goal to Tory Dickson, his second.

This was followed by two more rapid Bulldogs goals and a Bontempelli snap for a behind levelled the scores.

A terrific left-foot snap from young Saint Jade Gresham was followed by another behind to the ever-threatening Bontempelli, who missed after the three-quarter-time siren.

Supporting Bontempelli for the Dogs were Lachie Hunter, who continued his prolific season, while Jack Macrae, Jason Johannisen and Matt Suckling were always dangerous with their run and ball use.

MEDICAL ROOMWestern Bulldogs: The season is over for two more Bulldogs – midfielder Mitch Wallis, who broke both bones in his lower left leg, and forward Jack Redpath, who ruptured the ACL in his right knee. Backman Dale Morris experienced a minor issue with his left hamstring and didn't reappear after halftime, which coach Luke Beveridge said was a precautionary measure. "I couldn't tell you whether he's going to be available (next) week, but he hasn't done anything major," Beveridge said.

St Kilda: Veteran midfielder Leigh Montagna suffered a corked thigh. "It was a beauty but he was able to come on," coach Alan Richardson said. "We think he'll be right to go (next week)." Mav Weller was groggy after a head clash in the opening minutes but came back and was one of the Saints' best players, as was skipper Nick Riewoldt, even though he hurt his right knee after he had a kick smothered in the second quarter.

NEXT UPThe wounded Bulldogs journey to Simonds Stadium to face fellow top-four aspirant Geelong on Friday night and will be keen to reverse the 57-point hammering they received at the hands of the Cats at Etihad Stadium just five weeks ago. Meanwhile, the Saints return to Docklands for another Saturday night clash, this time with North Melbourne in an eight-point game.